Roku ups the ante with more content for UK release

Last year we first had news that Apple TV rival Roku were looking to make their streaming service available to regions outside of the US. Last month the company launched two devices for preorder, and now Roku ups the ante with more content for the UK release.

The two Roku set tops box on offer have now begun shipping, and the company has announced the service will now also offer the BBC iPlayer to UK residents. The neat little boxes will now offer UK consumers a good choice of content with the addition of the BBC iPlayer, and according to an article over at TechRadar is alongside the likes of Netflix, Crackle and a number of other web based content to owners TVs.

As we reported before there are two different set top boxes on offer from the company, which includes the entry level Roku LT that costs only £49.99. This still allows for 720p video content, while for £99.99 you can get the Roku 2 XS. This supports 1080p Full HD and also adds some casual games such as Angry Birds. You also get a motion controlled gaming remote that connects to the main unit via Bluetooth.

The more expensive unit also has a microSD slot for storing extra games, while a USB port will allow users to play music, videos, and view images via a USB drive. General Manager and VP for Roku Europe, Clive Hudson, said the company recognizes the importance of region specific content, and “are excited to announce the addition of BBC iPlayer to our platform”.

He went on to say that the BBC iPlayer is the first of many different partnerships for the company in Europe, and they will be “making additional announcements in the coming weeks”. Users of Roku in the US have access to content providers such as Amazon Instant Video, so users in the UK may get treated to providers such as Lovefilm in the not too distant future.

Makes me wonder if a VPN won’t be the solution to get all the same Roku channels as available in the US. Unless they have geoblocking enabled, private channel content is on a server and should be available anywhere.